Aspects of Brahmanical Influence On Jaina Mythology

Author(s): Shaktidhar Jha
Publisher: Bharat Bharti Bhandar

Page 66

Aspects of Brahmanical Influence on the Jain Mythology
institutional ideas, and in a nutshell, all matters relating to man's religious, economic, aesthetic and spiritual cravings as well as the ways and means of their just realization20. Thus by the incarporation of all these matters of universal interest this national epic was made a thesaurus of universal knowledge. This all comprehensive character of the epic caused an expansion of the connotation of the term Itzhāsa and eventually it came to be regarded as a composite body of literature, comprising Purāna, Itrortta, akhyāyrkā, Udaharana Dharmaśāstra and Arthasastra 21
As to the Purānas, the same method of augmentation was applied to the Pañicalaksana Purana, and the subjects, which were outside the purview of the original Pascalaksana Purānas were received into them Thus, the topics on Dharma, Artha, Kāma and Moksa22 besides the subjects of sectarian naturc, viz the glorification of Brahma, Vişnu, Rudra and the Sun-god as well as the description of the world23 were admitted into the existing Purānas Furthermore, the subjects relating to the four varnas and Aśramas together with those of the women and the mixed castes, were also incorporated in them 24 In addition to these we also learn from the Vāyu-Putāna that the eighteen Purānas also impart instruction about the great rivers, the Ganges, etc , about sacrifices, religious observances and austeritics, about various kinds of gifts together with g'amas and niyamas (self-controlling and sense-subjugating acts), about different religious cults and philosophical systems
20 NIBH, I 1 46-48 2l "पुराणमितिवृत्तमाख्यायिकोदाहरण धर्मशास्त्रम् अर्थशास्त्र च इतीति
ETF"
--Artha'sāstra , 1 5 14 22 "THATUA 417 FIP917 milcca"
-Mat 53-69 23 "Ta-faca EIRIT HTETEFT 49759 "
Ibid, 63 66 24 Voyu 104 12-134